Menge



Oct. 10, 1961 E. MENGE VALUE ENTRY MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 22, 1954 Oct 10, 1961 E. MENGE 3,003,688

VALUE ENTRY MECHANISM Filed Dec. 22, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR [BERN/9RD Mew/ s ATTO NEY United StatesPatent 3,003,688 I VALUE ENTRY MECHANISM Eberhard Menge, Braunschweig, Germany, assrgnor to Brunsviga Maschinenwerke AG., Braunschwcig, Germany Filed Dec. 22, 1954, Ser. No. 476,949 Claims priority, application Germany Dec. 28, 1953 1 Claim. '(Cl. 235-63) The present invention relates to an operation selecting and initialing mechanism for calculating machines or the like, and more particularly to an operation selecting and initialing mechanism in which by pressing apkey an oper ation is selected and an electromagnet initiating the operation' is energized. It is an object of the present invention to provide a key arrangement of the kind described which is relatively simple and inexpensive. I

It is another object of the present invention to reduce the overall number of the electromagnets.

It is a further object of the present invention to reduce the force exerted by the fingers of the hand of anoperator operating the keys.

In one embodiment of the present invention each key is provided immediately on the'stem thereof, in addition to a member actuating an electric switch,'with a selecting device arranged in such a manner that by depressing the key, the selecting device is brought into an'operative position and subsequently, by the actuation of the electric switch, an electromagnet is energized, said electromagnet performing the work required for the selected function. I a I I The selecting device immediately arranged on the stern of the key may be formed for numeral keys by stop faces arranged on the stems in steps corresponding to the different numeral values. i

V For example, with a numeral key the stop face may be arranged so as to be shifted bythe downward movement of the key into the path of a stop rod carrying out an angular movement. Subsequently the rod is rotated by the armature of an electromagnet, after the closing of a contact by the further downward movement of the key, until it impinges upon the stop of the key, thus effecting the adjustment of an adjusting slide or the like, and performing, under circumstances, additional operating steps of the slide such as steps corresponding to a decade. Preferably between the stop rod and the armature of the electromagnet a device such as a spring is provided for taking up a further motion of the armature.

- Furthermore it has been found advantageous to arrange a switching member of a slide stepping device at the end ofthe path of the armature of the electromagnet.

Preferably the same principle is applied to a calculating machine or the like having mathematical operation control keys for switching in or carrying out calculating operations or the like. Here the selecting device may include a locking device arranged for releasing one of a series of controlling slides associated, for instance, with operations such as totalling or subtotalling. A device to be actuated in common with each control slide, for instance, a coupling for a control or drive shaft is preferably arranged so as to be actuated directly by the electromagnet without transmitting the driving force thereof through any springs actuating the control slide or slides so that thesprings may be correspondingly weaker.

the finger pressure exerted on the keys.

,Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description thereof when read with reference to the accompanying drawings showing, by way of-example, some embodiments of the present invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a numeral key and the parts associated therewith, of an adding or calculating machine according to the present invention, s

FIGS. 1a and 1b are views similar to FIG. 1, showing some of the elements in different positions,

FIG. 2 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the electromagnet cooperating with the numeral key shown in FIG. 1, and of some parts associated therewith, 7

FIG. 3 is a section taken along the line III.-III of FIG. 2, 9

FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view, partly in section, of part of FIG. 2, I

FIG. 5 is a side elevation on a larger scale, partly in section, of certain parts shown inFIG. 2, and

FIG. 6 is a wiring diagram of the electro-magnet shown in FIG. 2.

. Referring now to the drawings, and first to FIG. 1, the numeral key 1 of an adding or calculating machine is provided with a stem 1 penetrating into theframe of the machine. The bottom part of the stem 1' is provided with a veltical slot 102 engaged by the recessed part of a shaft 101 so as to guide the stem 1' and the key 1 attached to the same; A stop face 12 is formed in the lower part of the stem 1, said stop face12 projecting more or less according to the value associated with the numeral key 1. By a slight touch, the key 1 is moved to a predetermined position as shown in FIG. 1a in which the stop face 12 is brought into the path of a rockable bar 3 forming a stop and being connected at the ends thereof, respectively, by two one-armed levers 1:4 with the shaft 2 (FIGS. 2 and 3) on one end of which is arranged a freely rockable lever 8 forked at the upper end thereofso as to form a fork 15. A helical spring 10 connected with one end 10a thereof with the shaft 2 surrounds the same. The other end 10b of the spring 10 is connected with one end of a stop member 10 attached to the lower portion of the lever'8. Thus the other end of the stop member 10 is forced towards a pin 10'. rigidly connected with the shaftZ. The lever 8 engages by the forked part 15 thereof a pin 16 attached to an angle 17 rigidly connected with one end of the armature 18 of an electromagnet 7. An arm 19 is connected to the other end of the armature 18. A spring 11 connects the frame 100 with the armature 18 and urges the same into the position shown in FIG. 2 in which the arm 19 is adjacegt to the stirrup 7 forming part of the electromagnet A lever 9 is arranged for rocking motion about the bearing pins 41 thereof engaging, respectively, holes provided in bearing plates 40. The lever 9 is provided with a stop member 9a rigidly connected therewith near the Patented Oct. 10,1961

pivots or beating pins 41 thereof and adapted to come into engagement with the arm 19 when the armature 18 is in the other end position thereof shown in dotted lines in FIG. 2. The bearing pins 41 allow an angular displacement of the rocking lever 9, the distance between the bearing plates 40 being somewhat larger than the axial length of the rocking lever 9 as shown clearly in FIG. 4.

A spring (not shown) urges the rocking lever 9 from the position thereof indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 2 into the position shown in full lines in which the rocking lever 9 rests against a stationary stop 42 of the machine. The rocking lever 9 is provided with a set of saw teeth 43 which are in the path of a marginal or tripping tooth 44 projecting from the part 45' of a frame or slide 45 which is pulled by a spring 46 towards the left in FIG. 4. The slide 45 is provided witha recess for a shaft 107 which corresponds to the shaft 2 disclosed in my co-pen-ding application Serial No. 323,411, tiled December 1, 1952 for a Calculating Machine, and carries a groove disk 104 provided with a toothed portion 103 corresponding, respectively, to the groove disk 9 and the toothed portion 23 disclosed in my co-pending application Serial No. 323,411, mentioned hereinabove. The toothed portion103 is provided with a gap 111 corresponding to two missing teeth and is engaged by a toothed wheel 105 which has also a gap 112 corresponding to two teeth. The toothed wheel 105 is rotatable about the shaft 106 arranged parallel to the shaft 107. The toothed wheel 105 and the shaft 106 correspond, respectively, to the wheels 22 and the shaft 21 disclosed in my co-pending application Serial No. 323,411, mentioned hereinabove, and have the same functions as these parts. The toothed Wheel 105 serves for bringing the toothed portion 103 of the groove disk 104 into the zero position as described more in detail in my co-pending application Serial No. 323,411, mentioned hereinabove, and particularly in column 2, lines 56-70 thereof.

In order to impart a decade shift to the calculating mechanism the rocking lever 9 is tilted in clockwise direction in FIG. 2 so as to bring the teeth 43 thereof into the path of an intermediate tooth 47 formed in the part 45' of the slide 45 so that the teeth 43 leave the marginal tooth 44 until the slide 45 has performed a half step to- Wards the left so as to bring one of the teeth 43 to rest against the intermediate tooth 47. When the rocking lever 9 is tilted in anti-clockwise direction the change of the teeth thereof is effected in the inverse sequence until the tooth 44 is in touch with that tooth 43 which is the next towards the left of the preceding tooth 43. The rocking lever 9 is provided with a pin 108 corresponding to pin 70 of the rod 72 disclosed in my co-pending application Serial No. 323,411, mentioned hereinabove. In a certain position of the rocking lever 9 the pin 108 comes into contact with the end 109 of a swingable lever corresponding to the rocking lever 69 disclosed in myco-pending application Serial No. 323,411 mentioned hereinabove, the operation of which is described more in detail on page 8, lines 9 to 19 thereof.

As the key 1 is further depressed from the predetermined position shown in FIG. 1a to the final position shown in FIG. 1b, an arm 13 projecting from the key stem 1 of the key 1 engages a stop member 116, carried by an arm of a two-armed lever 5, so that the twoarmed lever 5 is pivoted on a stationary lug 114 on the frame 100. The other arm 5" of the lever 5 closes a switch 6, bridging a gap 115, in the normally open energizing circuit for the electromagnet 7. Supply terminals 120 of an energy source are then connected to the electromagnet 7.

The operation of this device is as follows:

On depressing the key 1 the corresponding stop face 12 is moved into the path of the stop bar 3. Subsequently, the arm 13 protruding from the stem 1' thereof makes contact with the stop member 116 so as to exert a downwardly directed pressure upon the same and to swing the two-armed lever 5 about the pivot thereof so that the other arm 5" closes the contact 6 so as to energize the electromagnet 7. The latter attracts, therefore, its armature 18 while tensioning the spring 11. By the pin 16 attached to the angle 17 rigidly connected to the armature 18 the forked part 15 of the lever 8 is rotated which rotation is imparted through the helical spring 10 to the shaft 2. The rockable'rod 3, connected at the ends thereof by the levers 14 with the shaft 2, is thereby brought into the path of the stop face 12 arranged on the stem 1 of the key 1. A further rotary movement of the lever 8 is taken up by the helical spring 10. According to the angular displacement of the shaft 2 and the rod 3 an adjusting segment 4, rigidly connected at one end thereof with the shaft 2 and through the levers 14 with the rod 3, is adjusted. The opposite end of the segment 4 is formed as a circular part 4' having ten teeth 4" engaging the circumferential teeth 103 of a wheel 104 loosely arranged on the shaft 107 supported by the slide 45. Thus the angular position of the wheel 104 is representative of the numerical value set on the machine. The decade on which this value has been entered depends on the linear position of this wheel 104 which is determined by the position of the slide 45 on which the axle 107 for the Wheel 104 is mounted. Decade'shifts are controlled by the tripping mechanism operated by the arm 19 rigid with the armature 7. At the end'of its stroke armature 18 of the electromagnet 7 causes by its arm 19 a rotation about the pins 41 of the stop member 9a form-ing one piece with the lever 9 so that the same occupies the position thereof shown in FIGS. 2 and 5 in dotted lines, in which one of the teeth 43 is in contact with the intermediate tooth 47 of the part 45" of the slide 45. Thus a shifting of-the decade slide 45 into the next decade position is effected in the manner describedhereinabove.

When the key 1 is released the arm 13 is raised from contact with the stop member 116 so that the other arm 5" of the two-armed lever 5 under action of a return spring (not shown) opens the contact 6, thus deenergizing the electromagnet 7 so that the armature 18 thereof returns under the action of itsreturn spring 11 into the initial position shown in FIG. 2

Thus it is seen that by the present invention a light key touch is combined with a minimum key path.

I have described hereinabove preferred embodiments of my invention, but it should be understood that numerous changes may be made in the form, structure, and arrangement of the several parts of the calculating machine described hereinabove and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention or sacrificing any of its attendant advantages, the calculating machine described herein being merely for the purpose of illustrating my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows:

An operation selecting and initiating mechanism for calculating machines having a frame comprising, a plurality of numeral keys, each numeral key having a stem displaceably held in the frame, each key stem being formed with a stop face, each stop face being moved to an operative position in response to a predetermined depression of said associated key stem; a rocking mechanism having an initial position, each of said stop faces when in its operative position being located in the path of said rocking mechanism, each of said stop faces defining a different one of a plurality of stopped positions of said rocking mechanism; an electromagnet havingan armature, a normally open energizing circuit for said electromagnet, a switch to close said normally open energizing circuit in response to a final depression of any one of said keys exceeding said predetermined depression, a mechanical linkage extending between said armature and said rockable mechanism, a resilient member forming part of said mechanical linkage, said armataure performing an equal excursion each time said electromagnet is energized,

said resilient member permitting partial transmission of the excursion of said armature to said rocking mechanism, the rocking motion of said rocking mechanism being stopped by a stop face in its operative position; a numeral setting element, said numeral setting element being rockable with said rocking mechanism; a step-by-step ordinal shifting device, and an actuator for said ordinal shifting 1 device, said actuator being operated by said armature at the end of its stroke.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 988,327 Foster Apr. 4, 1911 1,357,423 Robb Nov. 2, 1920 2,074,017 Fuller et a1 Mar. 16, 1937 0 2,293,127 Fishack et al. Aug. 18, 1942 

